Yes Madame Undersecretary
by TheReader321
Summary: Hermione Granger, the youngest Undersecretary in the history of the Ministry faces the largest hurdle to her ambitiously radical reforms: the Magical Civil Service.


In a secret room, one of hundreds nestled in the dark corridors of the Ministry of Magic, two wizards lay seated in antique armchairs before a roaring fireplace. A small table separated one from the other, on top of which was a case of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey (classily half-full) and a magically powered wireless that looked worn with age.

The man on the left had neatly parted, short grey hair, which seemed to be almost unnaturally straight. A narrow toothbrush moustache hovered above his upper lip, which was curled at the moment for he was anticipating news that sure to upset him (as most news tended to do). In the darkness of the room, he took on a an appearance that was almost skull-like.

In contrast, the man on the right exuded a far less strict aura. He was much younger and the differences between the two were very apparent (at least for now). While of almost equal height and weight, he had curly hair, lacked a moustache and wore horn-rimmed glasses. He seemed to forcefully carry himself in a dignified manner, but in this case, he came off looking a bit pretentious and silly.

The man on the left was named Humphrey Avery and currently has the pleasure of occupying the position of Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary of Administrative Affairs. The man on the right, on the other hand, goes by the name of Bernardus Parkinson and is his illustrious assistant.

As the clock behind them hit 9:30PM, the wireless came alive with a shriek of static.

_'Thank you for tuning in to the Wizarding Wireless Network, proudly sponsored by McHavelock's Wizarding Headgear. My name is Felix Fawcett and tonight I will be covering the result of tonight's by-election._

_At Ottery St. Catchpole, the Returning Officer is just about preparing to declare the result. In just a few seconds, my fellow witches and wizards, we will be witnessing the culmination of two months of gruelling campaigning by the government, which is hoping to wrest back the aforementioned Wizengamot seat which fell vacant after the sudden and tragic death of longtime government backbencher Ignatius Weasley the second from Dragon Pox earlier this year._

_On parchment, it looks to be a sure win for Minister Shacklebolt's party in what is considered to be a relatively safe seat. In the previous general election, the late Mister Weasley defeated the Optimates' Jacobus Hacker the third and the Green's Xenophilius Lovegood the ninth with a majority of 133 votes._

_It has to be noted however that the circumstances are different now. Whereas previously the Populares were still riding high on their abolishment of Death Eater era legislation, the government's abysmal handling of the budget crisis has angered voters of all demographics. Should they manage to squander this by-election, their majority in the House of Warlocks could be threate— Ah it looks like the results have just been finalised._

_'Mister Jacobus Paul Hacker the fourth, Optimates 101 votes… Mister Amos Eldritch Diggory the second, Independent... 16 votes…. Missus Hermione Jean Granger… 183 votes..'_

A sudden cacophony of shouts and cheers erupted in the background, deafening the words spoken by the radio presenter before being abruptly cut off.

'_Well there you have it folks. By a majority of 82 votes based on a turnout of 300, Missus Hermione Granger has just been elected as the new representative for Ottery St. Catchpole to the House of Warlocks. With her status as a formidable war-heroine, alongside her close connections to both the prominent Weasley family and Lord Potter, she seems almost certain to get a position in the Minister's next cabinet reshuffle. Political analysts from the Greengrass Institute have predicted her as a likely successor as Undersecretary of Administrative Affairs, which lies vacant in the wake of Elphias Doge's scandalous resigna—'._

The older man, having just gotten up and turned off the wireless, sat back down. His face was etched with consternation. His younger companion watched him in silence, carefully looking for a reaction.

After a few, painfully quiet, minutes, the older man finally looked back towards him.

"Bernard, we are absolutely _**fucked**_.'


End file.
